Pitch Talk: New England (Take Two)

With the Crew set to take on New England tonight, we welcome in Kyle McCarthy, who covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLS.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @kylejmccarthy

Here is what he had to say about the Revolution:

With the Crew set to take on New England tonight, we welcome in Kyle McCarthy, who covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLS.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @kylejmccarthy

Here is what he had to say about the Revolution:

1. How different does the club look since the last time these two teams played? Most of the important players are the same (barring one large addition in Jerry Bengtson and one significant subtraction in Shalrie Joseph), but the results have changed considerably. New England has lost six of its past seven matches after starting the season promisingly. The fallout from Joseph's departure to Chivas USA may have played a part in a portion of the downturn, but the Revs have mostly struggled because teams have adjusted their tactics and limited their time and space in midfield.

2. With seven 1-0 losses this season, has the defense not gotten some credit it deserves? It's a mixed bag of sorts of the Revolution rearguard. The overall shape is usually pretty solid, but the individual performers (and this group encompasses midfielders and forwards, too, because many of the problems stem from conceding possession in poor areas) have often failed to avoid the lapses and the mistakes that lead to goals. When the Revs have eliminated those sorts of issues, they have usually performed well enough to keep teams out of the net. Those days haven't occurred often enough during this difficult stretch.

3. What sort of player is Jerry Bengston, and how might he impact the match? Bengtson exists to score goals. He plunders in the penalty area. He times his movements to put himself in the right spots to polish off chances created by others. If the Crew does not track him properly, he will punish them for it. If the Crew cuts out his service and limits his opportunities in front of goal, he won't hurt them much.

4. Has the Revolution taken notice of Federico Higuain, and if so, how? Higuain's first two appearances drew positive reviews from Revolution coaches and players. New England coach Jay Heaps breaks down tons of game tape with his players and he took special care to mention the impact of Higuain and Jairo Arrieta during the buildup to this match. Every Revs player will know what to expect from the shifty Higuain when he takes the field.

5. Seventeen points out of the last playoff spot, have you seen any signs of quit on the roster? No white flags are flying for the Revs right now. This group of players continually harps on the positives and slogs through matches even if the circumstances aren't favorable. Expect more of the same at Crew Stadium tonight.